Young Fredle by Cynthia Voigt

I really loved this sweet, gentle, touching story. It reminded of Charlotte's Web, Cricket in Time Square and others. I loved the voices of the raccoons and the dog, Sadie!

Secrets of a Lab Rat Series by Trudi Trueit

Scab McNally has set his sights on a new challenge--proving once and for all that his classmate, Missy Malone, is really an alien in disguise. Scab and his friends have nicknamed Missy "Never Missy" because her hand is always first in the air every time the teacher asks a question, and Missy never gets one wrong. Come on, how is that really possible? When Missy decides to run for class president, Scab sees the perfect opportunity to challenge her by running against her.

This is a funny, new series that I definitely would put in the hands of boys in grades 3-5, especially reluctant readers. I think the humor and voice of Scab is perfect!

226th Birthday of John James Audubon

Take a peek at these 2 books that are about Audubon!

A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole for grades 3-5. I really enjoyed this book.

At Oakley Plantation near New Orleans, temporary home to naturalist John James Audubon and his assistant, Joseph Mason, lives a mouse named Celeste. Industrious and sweet, she forages for food in the dining room and weaves baskets of grass. Unfortunately, she is harassed by resident rats, and, attempting to assuage their hunger, she is trapped by a cat and unable to return to her nook under the floorboards. A chase brings her to Mason's room and there develops a friendship between the homesick apprentice and the little mouse.

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt for grades 6th & up..
As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. So begins a coming-of-age masterwork full of equal parts comedy and tragedy from Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt. As Doug struggles to be more than the “skinny thug” that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer—a fiery young lady who “smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing sky after a rain.” In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon’s birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage. In this stunning novel, Schmidt expertly weaves multiple themes of loss and recovery in a story teeming with distinctive, unusual characters and invaluable lessons about love, creativity, and survival.