Juvenile and Young Adult Fiction

Greenglass House

From the Cover: 

It's wintertime at Greenglass House.  The creaky smugglers' in is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers' adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing.  But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings.  Then rings again.  And again.  Soon Milo's home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house.  As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook's daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House -- and themselves.

Themes: mystery, roll-playing games, Christmas, architecture, adoption

Need to Know: [coming soon]

Related Resources: 

Check out Bravewriter's Literature Single for this book.

The Westing Game

The Birchbark House

From the Cover: 

Themes: seasons, Ojibwa

Need to Know: [under review]

Related Resources: 

This text is often recommended in literature-based history curricula.

Check out Bravewriter's Literature Single for this book.

Smiling Hill Farm

This book is tricky to find - I bought mine at the library book shop for $.50!  It has charming illustrations and follows a family and their homestead from 1817 to 1937.

From the Cover: There isn't a summary on my 1937 edition - sorry!

Themes: farming, family, pioneering, homesteading, American history

Need to Know: [under review]

The Phantom Tollbooth

Indians of the Oaks

From the cover:

Indians of the Oaks is that rare event, a book that is both fine adventure and ethnographically accurate.  Melicent Lee's association with the Kumeyaay Indians of Southern California brought her not only their friendship but a wealth of information.  It is this knowledge, illustrated by her husband Leslie Lee, that is the solid foundation for Indians of the Oaks and makes it of value to scientists, experts and students of all ages.

Themes: Kumeyaay, California History

Need to Know: This book was originally published in 1937 and, while documentation of the author's experience in both story and illustrations is fascinating, it is not the most up-to-date information about the Kumeyaay.  I recommend pairing this book with resources presented by the Kumeyaay themselves and discuss how essential the author's point of view becomes in the accuracy of a work.

100 Cupboards

I'll be honest, I picked up this book because of the cover, I mean, look at the details!  "Something interesting must be happening inside the cover of this one," I thought.  It did not disappoint, and the series keeps getting crazier.

From the cover:

Lying in bed at night, twelve-year-old Henry York can't ignore the thumping and scratching he hears on the other side of his bedroom wall.  He scrapes off the plaster and discovers door -- ninety-nine cupboards of all different sizes and shapes.  Through one he hears the sound of falling rain. Through another he sees a glowing room -- with a man strolling back and forth! Henry and his cousin Henrietta soon learn that there are not just cupboards, but portals to other worlds.

Themes: magic, good vs. evil

Need to Know: [under review]