Cecil County Public Library - Great Reads

Penny From Heaven

by Jennifer L. Holm

In 1953, Penny is enjoying her summer listening to baseball games on the radio, eating butter pecan ice cream and hanging out with her best friend and cousin, Frankie. Penny's life sounds pretty perfect, except she is missing one important thing in her life, her father. Penny's father's death has always been a mystery to her. No one, including her mom, will tell her how he passed away, but she knows that somehow her favorite uncle is involved. Penny lives with her overly protec......more

Recommended by Tracy Alexander

Feathers

by Jacqueline Woodson

What if Jesus joined your 6th grade classroom and knew sign language? This is one of the puzzles Frannie, the 11 year old narrator In Jacqueline Woodson's book, Feathers, is trying to figure out. The mystery of the new boy in her class and what it means for her family, her friends and how she views hope is completely captivating. Hope is a central theme but also family, community and love. Frannie is a 6th grader in the early 1970's on the black side of a community separated by a highwa......more

Recommended by Tina Andrews

The Higher Power of Lucky

by Susan Patron

Lucky is a 10 year old aspiring scientist, living with her guardian, Bridgette, in a small desert town in California. Miles, who always carries a copy of 'Are You My Mother', and Lincoln, future president and member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, are Lucky's best friends. HMS Beagle is Lucky's devoted dog. Fearing that Bridgette is tired of caring for her, Lucky sets off to find her 'Higher Power'. She finds the gifts of courage, love, and unexpected acceptance....more

Recommended by Susan Newstead

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman

As a young child, Nobody (Bod) Owens escapes the evil and mysterious Jack who is responsible for the deaths of his entire family. Living at the graveyard is an interesting way to grow up and Bod becomes friendly with ghosts from all eras. Readers who enjoy spooky and mysterious tales will be on the edge of their seats waiting for the evil Jack to return to finish what he started all those years ago....more

Recommended by Rachel Wright

The Grey King

by Susan Cooper

The Grey King, part of the Dark is Rising Sequence, was a winner of the Newbery Medal. This epic fantasy story encompasses the reader in the epic struggle between the Light and Dark, both of which have agents everywhere capable of tremendous power. Will Stanton is an ‘Old One' one of the warriors in the battle between Light and Dark. Along with the help of his friend Bran, he must find a way of stopping the Dark from overcoming the Light in the Welsh countryside where the......more

Recommended by

Savvy

by Ingrid Law

Living in rural Kansas, Mibs Beaumont is not eager to meet her thirteenth birthday. While most girls her age cannot wait to become a teenager, Mibs knows that with her approaching birthday comes the reveal of her savvy. On a day-long adventure of a lifetime, Mibs identifies and accepts her savvy, and finds peace in the strong relationships she has with her less-than-usual family and friends. This 2009 Newbery Honor Book is a page-turner from start to finish!...more

Recommended by Jennifer Carter

When You Reach Me

by Rebecca Stead

Do you ever finish a book and think, "Wow, I want to read that again right now!" When You Reach Me is that kind of book. The main character, Miranda, is a 6th grader growing up in New York City in the 1970s. Her mother is auditioning for a game show, the secret key to her apartment has gone missing, and her friend Sal has suddenly stopped walking to school with her. Her life has become a little weird to say the least, but then she starts to receive notes from a mysterious stranger. The......more

Recommended by Amy Lewis

The View From Saturday

by E.L. Konigsburg

Do you know what famous woman lived in Homer, New York? Could you name the parts of the human eye in the order that light reaches them? These are just two of the questions asked of Julian, Ethan, Noah and Nadia, the four members of Mrs. Olinski's sixth grade Academic Bowl team. Mrs. Olinski, in her first year back in the classroom after a crippling accident, chose them against the advice of her more experienced peers. Did she make the right choice? You'll enjoy gett......more

Recommended by Carolyn Stepnitz

Turtle in Paradise

by Jennifer L. Holm

Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm is a 2011 Newbery Honor book. This story takes place in 1935, during the time of the Great Depression. The heroine of the story is a young girl named Turtle who, even though she is young, has seen a lot of ugliness of the world which has made her a realist at only 11 years old and even has a bit of a bitter outlook toward life. Her mother is more childlike than she is and Turtle seems to take on the burden of caring for her mother emotionally. Turtle is se......more

Recommended by Amanda Jenkins

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

by Rodman Philbrick

When Homer's mean ol' uncle sells his brother into the army, Homer takes off to find and rescue him. Homer finds himself contending with slimy robbers (Stink and Smelt), scoundrels, shifty spies, and the stench of being a travelling Pig Boy! While single-handedly saving a group of Underground Railroad refugees, taking a wild ride in a surveillance balloon and other true (well ‘mostly' true) adventures, Homer's biggest challenge is staying alive while the Civil War is exploding ......more

Recommended by Allison Holbrook

DATE	TITLE	RECOMMENDED BY
5/07/12	Penny From Heaven	Tracy Alexander
5/07/12	Feathers	Tina Andrews
5/07/12	The Higher Power of Lucky	Susan Newstead
5/07/12	The Graveyard Book	Rachel Wright
5/07/12	The Grey King
5/07/12	Savvy	Jennifer Carter
5/07/12	When You Reach Me	Amy Lewis
5/07/12	The View From Saturday	Carolyn Stepnitz
5/07/12	Turtle in Paradise	Amanda Jenkins
5/07/12	The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg	Allison Holbrook
5/07/12	Face to Face With Dolphins	Susan Newstead
5/07/12	Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook	Jennifer Carter
5/07/12	Uniquely Maryland	Carolyn Stepnitz
5/07/12	Can We Save The Tiger?	Tina Andrews
5/07/12	How Does My Garden Grow?	Karen Sweeney
5/07/12	Flight of the Phoenix	Tracy Alexander
5/07/12	I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912	Tracy Alexander
5/02/12	The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy and Hard Times	Betsy Schroeder
5/02/12	Sweetgrass	Cheryl Finnan
5/02/12	My French Whore: A Love Story	Angela Prandini

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