2009 Favorite Books - Middle Grade Fiction

Hold onto your horse and put on your thinking cap, because the tale of HIGHWAY ROBBERY (Greenwillow, $15.99) will keep you guessing from beginning to end. Set in the 18th century, the story is narrated by a cheeky street urchin who has been left holding Black Bess for a mysterious highwayman. Is he spinning a tall tale, capitalizing on hero worship, or relating his true adventures? This tiny gem by award-winning author Kate Thompson is perfect to share as a read-aloud.  Ages 6-12.  MAG

Peter’s guardian sends him to the market for fish, but he stops instead to see a fortuneteller. Cryptically, the fortuneteller tells him to “follow the elephant.” Feeling foolish, Peter goes home empty-handed.  But, by a strange coincidence, that very night, a bumbling magician is reaching into his hat to pull out a bouquet of flowers when an elephant falls through the ceiling and causes a great stir.  Kate DiCamillo magically spins these unlikely elements into the haunting fable of THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT (Candlewick, $16.95).  Ages 8-12.  JKS

During WWII women started getting new ideas, and odds-defying young women took to the skies. Sherri Smith’s Ida Mae Jones eschews the easy life when she signs up to be a FLYGIRL (Putnam, $16.99), part of the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs), a government program for female pilots to fly supplies to non-combat zones. But Ida has a secret. This exciting narrative traces Ida’s ascent as she stretches the truth about who she is in order to do what she loves. Ages 13-16. MIR

Connoisseurs of mystery and the intricacies of time travel will be riveted by Rebecca Stead’s WHEN YOU REACH ME (Random House, $15.99). Twelve year-old Miranda’s already complicated New York life grows even more bewildering when she receives an enigmatic note: “I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.” But her best friend has cut her off, and making new friends is proving difficult. The anonymous, all-too-personal notes keep coming, and it is only at the very end that she discovers their source. Ages 12-16. SNB

With THE ISLANDS OF THE BLESSED (Atheneum, $18.99), Nancy Farmer brings to a thrilling conclusion the medieval fantasy epic that began with The Sea of Trolls and The Land of the Silver Apples. Jack and Thorgil journey to Notland, home of the fin folk, where mermaids and sea hags enchant the sea-roads. Once again Farmer deftly blends medieval history and Norse mythology into an exciting tale of monasteries, monsters, and redemption. Ages 11-14. SNB

In the city-state of Agora everything can be bought and sold, and Mark and Lily must barter their labor for their lives. Mark is destined to work for the doctor who cured him of the plague, and Lily is to remain in Count Stelli’s tower as the astrologer’s servant. Although they decide to trade places, Mark and Lily’s lives remain strangely intertwined, and it is Lily who discovers the significance of THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER (Roaring Brook, $16.99). David Whitley’s first novel is the compelling story of a society where materialism reigns and the two young people who grow to test its values. Ages 12 -16. HWP

The Mansfield brothers, Zeke and Randy, vie for the chess championship of the Northeast Pennsylvania Regional Competition. When it becomes clear that they may face each other in the semi-finals, their rivalry becomes toxic, especially when their outrageous, bullying father starts coaching from the sidelines. In Rich Wallace’s short, tense novel, the brothers feel like they are in PERPETUAL CHECKK (Knopf, $15.99) until they decide together to change their lives. Ages 12-16. DDL